Senate Advances Housing Bill with CBDC Ban, Blocking Fed Digital Dollar 84–6 Clickable image
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Senate Advances Housing Bill with CBDC Ban, Blocking Fed Digital Dollar 84–6



In a major show of bipartisan force, the U.S. Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly advanced a sweeping housing reform package that also delivers a significant rebuke to plans for a Federal Reserve–issued digital dollar. The chamber voted 84–6 to move the measure forward — a margin that, as journalist Burgess Everett observed, “you don’t see a vote like that every day.”

The vehicle for the move is a comprehensive substitute amendment to H.R. 6644, dubbed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, crafted by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sen. Tim Scott and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. While the bill’s headline mission is to tackle the nation’s housing crisis — increasing supply, modernizing affordability programs, cutting regulatory red tape, and improving mortgage access — it also contains a high-profile fintech rider under Title X: Central Bank Digital Currency.

That provision would bar the Federal Reserve from issuing a U.S. CBDC unless Congress gives explicit authorization. Lawmakers who backed the language say it reflects growing worries about privacy, financial surveillance, and the potential upending of the current banking system that a digital dollar could bring. For the crypto and fintech communities, embedding a CBDC ban in such a widely supported housing package sends a clear signal about congressional caution toward a Fed-backed retail digital currency.

Beyond the CBDC ban, the bill packages a range of housing-focused reforms: steps to expand housing inventory, strengthen rental assistance, promote financial literacy, update rules for manufactured housing, and make mortgages more accessible. Supporters argue the combination addresses structural barriers that have tightened supply and driven up housing costs across the country.

The lopsided Senate vote not only underscores rare bipartisan consensus on housing policy but also raises the stakes for negotiations as the legislation heads to the House. If enacted, the measure would be among the most consequential housing reform efforts in years — and a notable, possibly decisive, congressional statement shaping the future of U.S. digital currency policy.

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